Re: [MV] Some variants in very early 1942 GPW
john edwards (ozjeep@hutch.com.au)
Fri, 05 Dec 1997 04:22:30 -0800
Todd Paisley wrote:
>
> >Hello lists, In Japan there is one interesting 1942 GPW # 9890.The front
> >end of the frame is cut off vertically.(the standard type is cut off
> >diagonally) Judging from the location of its hole,obviously this is not
> >modification.
>
> Are you sure it isn't a CJ-2A frame? Is it stamped GPW-9890?
>
> >After March 15 1942 all GPWs' frames were cut off diagonally by Army
> >request.
>
> I have thought that the early GPW frames were based on the Willys frames
> which were cut off diagonally. (I would love to know for sure whether Ford
> just purchased Willys frames from Midland Steel Products or their frame
> shops just made Willys frames for a while. I am betting they just purchased
> the frames while their frame shops were getting up to speed in order to meet
> the contract dates.) All the early ones I have seen before this are
> diagonally cut. (GIJeep: You have GPW #4. What does it have?) Do you
> have a reference or the Engineering Change Order/Deviation Permit number
> from the QMC regarding this request? I'm very curious as to where you
> received your information.
>
> >Maybe these differences came from the
> >fact that FORD had 5 factories.In Oct.1941 FORD got the contract from
> >the Pentagon.FORD started the GPW production in Jan.1942,so they were in
> >hurry in early stage...The serial number and the date of delivery are
> >very confusing in GPW.the speculation is...FORD managed total serial
> >numbers in Head Office and assigned these numbers to the 5 factories
> >depending on their production capacities.According to All American
> >Wonder Vol.2,above GPW #9890 in Japan is one of the #9760(1942.3.3) -
> >#9920(161 unit), namely #9890 is the 131st out of 161 GPWs which wre
> >produced in one of the 5 factories.The date of delivery is March 3 but
> >this does not mean # 9890 were produced in March 1942 but produced in
> >earlier 1942 according to above speculation.
>
> What is the significance of #9760 & #9920 (should it be #9921 if you are
> looking at the serial numbers he has listed?)? I don't understand what the
> 161 vehicle range means and how it is applied to the 5 factories. I have
> never found anyone who has figured out how to tell which factory a GPW was
> produced based on the serial number. I have GPW-11509 (DOD: 4-11-42) which
> was off the first contract and I would love to know where it was produced.
> The only thing I have been able to determine is that of the 15000 off the
> first contract, it was split up among 5 factories: Dearborn, MI (3500),
> Chester, PA (2500), Dallas, TX (2500), Louisville, KY (4000) and Long Beach,
> CA (2500). (Although some of the Louisville quota was transfered to the
> River Rouge plant so that all the factories would complete production at the
> same time.) Have you found a source that breaks down those numbers at the
> factories to serial numbers? Hoping someone some day goes through the Ford
> archives and finds this info. Don't live close enough or I would love to do
> that...
>
> Todd Paisley
>
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Folks,
For those parties that are interested I can FAX you a copy of my
breakdown of US Bonnet numbers to chassis'. Let me know. This is
something that is talked about a lot, but is hard to explain in words.
John
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